The Restaurant Guys

The Spirits Project: Southern Comfort (Antique Bottle from the 1960s)

Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.

• Estimated retail price:  $??? per bottle
• We will pour an ounce, side-by-side with a contemporary bottle, for $12
  

We know for a fact that this quart bottle of SoCo dates back beyond 1977 when U.S. liquor changed over to the metric system. There's a ton of debate about how a finished spirit changes in the bottle. For a long time, conventional wisdom has held that it does not. I have been fortunate enough to have drunk several bottles of spirits that have been in the bottle more than 50 or even 100 years old and I am working out my own opinion. When you buy a very old whisky or brandy, it's not been in the bottle very long. It's a current bottling of older spirits that were aged in barrel.

The debate is complicated by the fact that distilleries may change their styles over time. This can be in large breaks or in small increments, imperceptible in the course of a generation or two, but apparent after half a century. We assume this bottle is from the late 1960's. We will pour it side-by-side with a contemporary bottle. Long time drinkers of So Co have claimed for years that the contemporary spirit is nothing like the old time "Grand Old Drink of The South." Let's find out. Come by at 6:30! Tonight, at precisely 6:30, we will open just one bottle of the old stuff. When it's gone, it's gone. I do hope you can join us.

Next Week in The Spirits Project: Bunnahabhain 1978

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The Spirits Project: Caol Illa (1990) 21 Year "Murray McDavid Mission Selection"

The Spirits Project: Caol Illa (1990) 21 Year “Murray McDavid Mission Selection”

Read more about the Spirits project.

Estimated retail price:  $159 per bottle
We will pour an ounce for $4.50

Murray McDavid is an independent bottler of sorts. I say “of sorts” because Murray McDavid is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bruichladdich Distillery. What this means is that Bruichladdich’s master distiller, Jim McEwan, purchases barrels of whisky from other distilleries, finishes the aging and bottling himself and then releases them under the Murray McDavid label.

Unlike many, so called, “Merchant Bottlers” Murray McDavid never blends, but releases only single malts. While they don’t blend whisky from different distilleries, they don’t ever bottle single-casks. They prefer to dump several carefully chosen casks at a time for consistency. While I like single cask bottlings, they certainly do achieve whisky of great complexity and finesse with these small-batch bottlings.

Murray McDavid never adds any coloring (a surprisingly common practice), nor do they chill filter. All bottlings are with Islay Spring water, bottled at the Bruichladdich distillery.

Islay has always been one of my favorite whisky producing regions and Caol Ila is fast becoming one of my favorite distilleries on the island. This particular batch was finished in wine barrels from Château Haut-Brion. Wine barrels work a particular magic on peaty whisky like this one. I can’t wait to open it this evening. I hope you’ll join me.

Tonight, I will open one bottle at precisely 6:30. When it's gone, it's gone.

Next Week in The Spirits Project: 1999 Rum from Panama

The Spirits Project: Crown Royal (Bottled in 1957)

Read more about the Spirits project.

Crown Royal (Bottled in 1957)

Estimated retail price:  $250 per bottle
We will pour an ounce
PLUS an ounce of contemporary bottling for comparison for $10

There's a ton of debate about how a finished spirit changes in the bottle. For a long time, conventional wisdom has held that it does not. I have been fortunate enough to have drunk several bottles of spirits that have been in the bottle more than 50 or even 100 years old. (Remember, when you buy a very old whisky or brandy, it's usually not been in the bottle very long; it's a current bottling of older spirits.) Of course, the debate is made even more interesting by the fact that houses may or may not change the style of their blend or even their distillate over time.

We've come across an antique bottle of Crown Royal Scotch. The tax stamp lets us know it was brought into America in 1957, so that's 46 years this bottle has been waiting for you to come drink it! Tonight's the night! We're going to offer one ounce of Crown Royal (1957 Bottling) next to one contemporary bottle of Crown Royal. Now THIS should be interesting.

Tonight, I will open one bottle of this glorious elixir at precisely 6:30. When it's gone, it's gone. Come and drink a bit of history for $10!

Fun fact about this bottle: It predates the metric system in America. This bottle was known as "A Fifth." You might be confused because on the label, by law, a fifth would have to say, "Size: 4/5ths of a Quart." So why is it called a fifth? Because it's a fifth of a gallon, which is not stated anywhere on the bottle. So do you think the metric system is a good idea? It certainly makes the math easier!

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The Spirits Project: Glen Grant 28 Yr 1979 Speyside Single-Barrel Bottling from The Malt Trust

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The Spirits Project: Glen Grant 28 Yr 1979 Speyside Single-Barrel Bottling from The Malt Trust

Read more about the Spirits project.

Glen Grant 28 Yr 1979 Speyside Single-Barrel Bottling from The Malt Trust

Estimated retail price:  $239 per bottle
We're pouring one ounce for $8

Glen Grant was founded by two former illegal distillers and smugglers. In 1840, brothers John and James Grant decided to take out a license. With the sea and port of Garmouth nearby, the River Spey at its feet and barley-growing plains nearby, all the basic ingredients of malt whisky were close at hand. This time the distillery was legal. James ‘The Major’ Grant, born in 1847, inherited the business in 1872. He was to prove himself a worthy successor.

The Major was a legendary traveler and innovator. He was the first man in the Highlands to own a car. Glen Grant was the first distillery to have electric light. And he introduced the tall slender stills and purifiers that create the distinct malty flavor and clear color that defines Glen Grant whisky to this day. By the time he died in 1931, his distillery had become one of the most famous in the world. Douglas MacKessack, his grandson, succeeded him.

While Glen Grant is no longer family-owned, it's tall stills continue to produce the singular malty, light colored whiskies that made it famous. This is a numbered bottle (#176) from a single barrel of 1979 whisky that was dumped in 2007 and has been resting in bottle since. That will come to an end on Thursday when I, with my own two hands, open the cork and pour some for you (and me).

 

Next week, we'll have a very special spirit indeed: Cognac Delamain "The Reserve de la Famille." This rare single barrel bottling would retail for about $550.

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The Spirits Project: Strathmill 18 Year 1989 Single Barrel; Malt Trust

Read more about the Spirits project.

Strathmill 18 Year 1989 Single Barrel; Malt Trust

Estimated retail price:  $145 per bottle
We're pouring one ounce for $4.50

Some of the buildings on the Strathmill Distillery complex are actually older than the distillery itself - they were once part of a corn mill. This mill was founded in 1823 while the conversion to a whisky distillery took place in 1891. At this time the name was still Glenisla-Glenlivet. The conversion from a corn mill to a distillery was probably inspired by the whisky boom of the late 19th century. Between 1890 and 1899 almost thirty malt whisky distilleries were founded. A second pair of stills was added at Strathmill in 1968. At this time the spirit stills at Strathmill were also fitted with purifiers on their lyne-arms (the pipes running down from the top of the still) to help produce a lighter type of spirit. In recent times, most of the output of Strathmill has made up the high point of many a blended whisky. Strathmill is a Speyside distillery that get's its water from local springs and The Isla river. I don't have a lot of experience with Strathmill and I am very much looking forward to opening this bottle.

The Malt Trust is a relatively new independent bottler of single malts that has been releasing some really well regarded bottlings. All Malt Trust whiskies are dumped in single barrels and without chill filtration or additional coloring.

Next week in The Spirits Project: Delamain Cognac Reserve de la Famille.

Glenlivet Coilltean 34-Year (1977) Scotch Whisky - Samaroli Selection

Tonight, Thursday, August 23 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Glenlivet Coilltean 34-Year (1977) Scotch Whisky - Samaroli Selection
Suggested Retail Price is  $395    We will pour one ounce for $12

Yet another spirit from the famed spirits purveyor, Mr. Silvio Samaroli.  This single cask 1977 was given 34 years to come to maturity.  We're finding that whether it's rum or whisky, Samaroli's selections tend to run to the round and glycerol end of the spectrum.  Glenlivet, of course, was the first licensed distiller of whisky in Scotland and has been producing fantastic whisky legally since 1824.  This act almost got the owner killed by the other distillers who preferred to remain under the radar and off the king's tax rolls. 

On Thursday, at precisely 6:30, we will open just one bottle.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

 

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Elijah Craig 20 Year Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Tomintoul 1967 "44-Year" Speyside-Highland Malt Scotch (Bottled 2011) Silvano Samaroli Selection

Thursday, August 9 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Tomintoul 1967 "44-Year" Speyside-Highland Malt Scotch (Bottled 2011)
Silvano Samaroli Selection
Suggested Retail Price is  $450    We will pour one ounce for $12.99 (13 is unlucky)

Tomintoul is the highest village in The Highlands of Scottland.  It's more than 1100 feet above sea level.    "Tom an t-Sabhail" means "Hillock of The Barn" in Gaelic.  Why that's important..? I have no idea. Today just over 300 souls call it home, down from almost 2,000 in the 1800's.  The distillery began production in 1965 and so this bottling is from the second year of Tomintoul's production.  It's 44 years of age in cask was not wasted.  It's one of the most substantial, interesting and sexy whiskies we've ever offered in The Spirits Project.  Silvano Samaroli is one of the finest selectors whisky and rum in the world.  Yes, he's Italian, which is uncommon in the whisky trade.  He is the only Italian doing this whom I know of.  He's been doing it since 1968 and his technical palate and his great taste are unquestionable.  I will seek out anything with this man's name on the bottle.  You should too.

Silvano Samaroli

On Thursday, at precisely 6:30, we will open just one bottle.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

Inverleven 25-Year 1979 Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky (bottled 1994)

 

O ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road,  /  An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and me true love will never meet again  /  On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

Thursday, August 2 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Inverleven 25-Year 1979 Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky (bottled 1994)
Suggested Retail Price is  $199    We will pour one ounce for $6.50

For 43 years, Inverleven was produced in The Scottish Lowlands. But that was long ago. The still that once begat Inverleven fell silent in 1991.  It's a ghost distillery now, only surviving in its spirits.  Come be haunted by one of them tonight.  Hard by the Loch Lomond in, The Dumbarton Distillery produces prodigious amounts of grain whisky from an industrial column still.  Next to the industrial still that still stands today and produces all that grain whisky, there was once a traditional pot still. That pot still was the source of Inverleven. It was mothballed in 1992, and more recently, sold to the boys at Bruichladdich, where I'm sure it's contributing admirable service to their revolutionary efforts.  But there is no more Inverleven, drawn from the waters of the famous Loch.  A whisky is not a product of just the still, but of the water at it's source and the air and the specific climate of it's aging chamber.  Come tonight and taste a piece of history, a ghost spirit.

This cask was selected and bottled by master distiller Robert Scott.  It's a merchant whisky and bottled at cask strength.  At 58% alcohol, it's not for the faint of heart. But then again, it needs to carry the spirit of a distillery long gone.  These Lowland malts are an under-appreciated and unjustifiably un-sung category of whisky.  Come tonight and find a reason to sing (but then, please don't)! 

There was a third kind of still in use at Dumbarton. It was called the Lomond Still. Its relevance was short-lived and it was not used in the production of this whisky. 

On Thursday, at precisely 6:30, we will open just one bottle.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

*And just because I can't resist, here's a GREAT rendition of Loch Lomond from The Corries, circa 1975. If you thought it couldn't be done without being hopelessly corny, click here.
**And because I really, really can't resist, here is a GREAT piece from the very contemporary band, Loch Lomond, out of Portland.  Click here.

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Samaroli Tomintoul Single Highland Malt 1967

JM Rhum 1994

I don't know about you, but from the picture, I think that the Rhum guys have more fun than the Scotch guys.

Thursday, July 26 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Rhum J.M. 1994
Suggested Retail Price is  $259    We will pour one ounce for $8

Located on the northernmost tip of Martinique at the base of an active volcano, and dating from 1845, Rhum J.M has a truly unique terroir for its estate-grown sugarcane. The island of Martinique itself carries an AOC Rhum classification, the only such classification of its kind, as the island is recognized as the the world’s premier sugarcane growing area. The intense tropical heat and humidity of the island plus the rich volcanic soil of Rhum J.M creates a unique microclimate that yields the highest quality sugarcane and therefore rhums. Rhum J.M was started by the Crassous de Médeuil family. The distillery and estate are still family-owned and have passed through four generations while maintaining the traditions and standards from when the distillery was founded over 160 years ago.  Rhum J.M. Vieux was distilled directly from this estate-grown, hand-cut, fresh pressed sugar cane juice in 1994 then aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels. 

On Thursday, we will open just one bottle at precisely 6:30.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

 

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Interleven 1979 Scotch Whisky

 

Bunnahabhain (Scott's Selection) 1977

 

 

 

Thursday, July 12 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Bunnahabhain (Scott's Selection) 1977

Suggested Retail Price is  $239   We will pour one ounce for $7

 

Bunnahabhain has been continuously producing on the island of Islay since 1881.  Their distillery and aging room sit hard-by the chilly Northern ocean, which lends to Bunnahabhain whiskies (and to an extent all Islay whiskies) a certain freshness and almost briny, sea-air quality.  Unlike many Islay distilleries, Bunnahabhain does not heavily peat the barley that goes into their whisky.  Don't let that fool you into thinking it's not layered with complexity and power.  Bunnahabhain is singular among whiskies.  It's a distillery with a point of view.

 

This week, we will open a merchant whisky barrel from the year 1977.

 

On Thursday, we will open just one bottle at precisely 6:30.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

 

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Rhum JM 15 Year - 1994 Vintage